2012: It's The End Of The Year As We Know It...

We "survived" the most anticlimatic Mayan apocalypse that wasn't, and if I'm honest, it’s been a mixed bag of a year, which means I shall be looking forward to 2013 all the more.

I have a few projects on the go as always, but want to concentrate on my filmmaking and film writing. To that end a friend and I will be starting a new blog: What Have You Done To Deserve This, which will be more film centric than this blog and less rambly too. I’ll link to our first posts here but once we’re up and flying I’ll probably just post them at the side. As for the filmmaking, that will stay here on my creative projects site and I will be cleaning it up, featuring more people and generally blogging better.

So here’s a summary of some of my personal highlights

Favourite Films

I’ve had a few disappointments, Take This Waltz being notable for high expectations but not quite delivering as a whole in spite of a decent premise and some truly wonderful casting and acting.  Mainly that I just haven’t managed to see some films, Berberian Sound Studio and Beasts of the Southern Wild, to name a couple.

That said I’ve also had some real delights, Amour, Sightseers, The Cabin In the Woods, Ted, the Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall and Paranorman all tickled my fancy in different ways.  My unbeatable film of the year for sheer combination of elements, wit, humour, cinematography and again fantastic casting and performances, you cannot fault The Avengers for unadulterated delight and leaving you wanting more.

                                

Personal achievement of the year

Pointless.  They asked me about Oscar winning film directors.  God bless you Michel Hazavanicius and your incredibly difficult to pronounce name.

Social media Joy

This was one of my favourite tweets this month.

This will probably be my favourite retweet ever.

Favourite video:  

So hard to pick one Lizzie Bennet Diaries episode, but this one shows just how much thought has gone to the whole adaptation. 

Fab of the year: Project For Awesome 

No people has more espoused my ideals than the VlogBrothers.  I love what they do and how they do it, Decrease Suck, Increase Awesome.  What better ethos is there? They educate, speculate, write, sing and inspire and they raise money for charity to make the world a better place.  Don’t Forget To Be Awesome in 2013 people.

Creative Times: If Only I Could Teleport

The Wedding Scene from Don Giovanni

Hello noble  readers.

This weekend I am going to a wedding which promises to be a superlative couple of days amongst some fantastic friends.  That said, being fond of performance and pop culture I have to say this weekend is one of those times I wish I could teleport or clone myself to magically indulge in some serious cross UK, cross cultural activity.  So for your delectation my futuristic fantasy of what 24^th – 25^th November would hold.

Saturday:
I’d take in the Celebrity Couples conference at the university of  Southampton – hopefully catching the sessions on The Romantic Myth of Kate and Spence or Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith: From Latin Lover and Hollywood Bad Girl to Loyal Husband and Aging Female Star .

Unfortunately in order to catch the vows in sunny Manchester*, I will have to miss Watching the Throne: Beyonce and Jay-Z: Managing Celebrity Authenticity in the Blogosphere by a Salford based media lecturer, Dr Kirsty Fairclough.

Ah yes, if I had the power of instantaneous travel, after the food, speeches and first dance at the  Magnificent Manchester Wedding, I could take a breather and merely mosey across to Nottingham for my second viewing of the current Opera North run of Don Giovanni featuring a crazy wedding and an even crazier gatecrasher, and the best “appeasing a jealous boyfriend”  scene I have ever witnessed.

Then back to raucous antics in Manchester for the end of the wedding and possibly a hangover to end all hangovers.

Sunday:

What better way to ease my hangover than by catching up with friends over breakfast lunch and in a blink I could either return to my home turf at The Drum to take in a film. Since there is a Q&A with   Express Punjab a documentary about drugs in Pakistan that would be one option, or I could take full advantage of sci-fantasy transport methods and head even further south.

My second afternoon filmy choice would be attending the brand spanking new Underwire film festival  addressing why women “can’t” make featurefilms, with Dreams of A Life director Carol Morley and (I’m trying to be sooo cool about this and failing) my new twitter follower Hannah McGill, lists amongst a magnificent cv being former Artistic Director of the Edinburgh Film Festival.

After that I could Stealth Salvatore across time and space indulge in some mulled cider at the German Market and a brat-best (they could never be called wurst!) and finish off the night listening to the dulcet tones of Terri Walker back at The Drum . 

Alas without the aid of a tardis, this weekend will remain a fantasy and perhaps that’s for the best, after all friends and family are pretty special in themselves.

*the blogger accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of this statement or choking fits suffered by readers.

Creative Gifts: Christmas is coming

As Christmas approaches I would like to suggest gifts of books written by people I know: for your consideration I present:

By Andy Murray: Into The Unknown; The Fantastic Life of Nigel Kneale – for Sci Fi fans

By Leeanne Stoddart: Unrealistic Expectations – for poetry fans

By David Kirby: Lab Coats In Hollywood – for Sci Fi/Science nerds
Es

Bringing The Random: Secret Geek Mission

So I mentioned in July that I had been busy in June, one of the things was recording a tv show which will be shown tomorrow night - Thursday 18 October, 2012 at 5:15pm on BBC1.

Can you guess what it is yet?!

The Link for the show on iplayer will be added on Friday.
Edited: oops a little late - it's live until 24th October. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nht97

Creative Times: October Fests

Hello Readers,

It's your sporadic blogger here (guess who re-watched Clueless recently!)

A couple of things you should be checking out this month:

Online: All Animated. animators community  I started following them on facebook this week and already been introduced to this little gem:


Birmingham - Afrovibes festival at The Drum.  It was a fabulous success last time and features international dance, theatre and music.  It's also touring around.

It's worth just popping down for the photos on display in the cafe by South African Artist Tyler Dolan : Here's his website and the festival website

Also it's October, so it's Black History Month and there are fabulous events accross Birmingham.  I am planning on heading to the mac on Sunday with photographer Vanley Burke.  You can follow the Birminum trail featuring places from the photographs in his exhibition charting Birmingham immigrant communities.

Anyone else excited about the new lady in charge of the London Film Festival, Claire Stewart?  just me - can't be!  I probably won't make the festival, but this piece on shorts programmer Phil Ilson has me seeing if I can rework my schedule.

Also perpetual PlanetEsther fave, Cornerhouse is merging with the Library Theatre and recently announced it's new name.  I am not quite used to it yet, but as long as it has the same ethos, I suspect I will have no problem making it my occasional Home.

Happy October folks!

Creative Times: A trip worth taking

On Wednesday night, I attended the launch of the Abandon Normal Devices in Manchester. Having navigated several of the opening night venues and walked a great deal of Manchester I reached a stumbling block, literally, at the Salutation Pub, where burger in hand I took the kind of slow motion fall that would have made even Buster Keaton stare in awe. As it was, I dismissed the concerns of friends and strangers and thought about puns for my blog!

A trip down memory lane



As a veteran since the very first festival in Liverpool, I wouldn’t let a mere grazed knee stand in the way of my enjoying the feast of international artists and activities that the Abandon Normal Devices Festival has to offer. I have left the North west, but something about this festival draws me back every year to partake in a whimsical look at digital art and quirky ideas allowed to develop and flourish.



The Saturday night, headline act, Trixxie Carr, follows in the footsteps of All About Evil 2010’s interactive horror drag show which I blogged about here. It’s a welcome return to the festival for the San Francisco performer challenging the very concept of a traditionally male led drag performance!



Falling into the unknown



Of course the hook of the festival is the new, unique and different. The idea of artists curating different spaces, whilst not new, continues to have an infinite number of permutations. The transformed spaces here are caravans, a travelling mobile republic which includes a broadcasting booth and a gastronomic smelling experience where you create your own spice combinations using a futuristic machine straight out of HG Wells.



Truly unqiue and bizarre is the The Master/Slave Invigilation system which is something that has to be experienced to be believed. Moving between sites you are taken on a tour of the AND exhibitions by a artist Jeremy Bailey who is based at a remote venue (downstairs in Cornerhouse) and offers a idiosyncratic insight into the shows through a digital ipad screen mounted on a mute robot “slave”. Visually intriguing, it turns out that I actually knew the first robot I encountered but the experience obscures their identity presenting a curious androgynous form with digital imagery.

http://www.andfestival.org.uk/events/masterslave-invigilator-system/



Finding new ways to present film is always a challenge, so the ambitious Empire Drive In, an open air (YES in Manchester!) cinema showing retro classics befitting the post apocalyptic space. Robocop has gone, but Mad Max 2 Beyond The Thunderdome is still to come, although probably sold out by now.



The programme is a lovely snapshot of stories rarely told and experimentation of method and contains films I will be actively seeking out, in particular a film about Manchester genius Alan Turing father of the internet, which of course makes such an innovative festival possible.



This year may be its last in the current form, so whilst you have the chance, Cornerhouse is once again inviting you to come out and play and I hope you fall hard for it like I did! The spectacle continues until Sun 2 September at various venues across Manchester and the mobile republic will also be on a limited tour. See http://www.andfestival.org.uk/ for more details.



My Favourite Fictional Women - Diana Trent

When I was younger, I decided that as a young adult I wanted to be Lynda Day, as a professional - Shiela Sabbatini and to grow old disgracefully in the mould of Diana Trent. Feisty, fierce and with hints of a wicked past, she had all her marbles in tact (firing on all cylinders in fact) and wit and humour in abundance. Today at my place of work some young kids perpared food for some elderly residential home residents and some of our staff. I was sat next to Lily, a whip smart former bus conductor from Sierra Leone by way of Liverpool. As a Sierra Leonean descendant, and former Liverpool resident, we had loads to talk about and got on like a house on fire and she got me thinking about Waiting For God and how my final years may play out. I hope she has as much fun as Diane Trent - and Tom for that matter - seemed to have, in spite of facing patronising relatives and institutional incompetence. Whilst I am a fan of the institution of marriage in the right circumstances, this clip is a golden nugget of Diana Trent always makes me wet myself! (nothing like incontinence to form a bit of solidarity with the elderly)

 

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Hi Guys, I didn't post in June because I was on a a secret geek mission (more on that in October) and I was here:

I'm getting back into a UK state of mind and I'll be back very soon!

Turning you square eyed - Part One: Youtube

How are you, fine followers?  Seriously - how are you? What have you been doing/seeing/creating - please comment.

As some of you know I have nerdish tendacies, so today I am sharing my discovery of myriad youtubers who make my insomniac soul lollop like a carefree matress in the swamps of Sqornshellous Zeta.  For each one I've linked both the channel and picked 1 or 2 of my favourite videos.

The five awesome girls - self explanatory title. They were collectively awesome interent friends who posted on monday to friday in 2008 for the year to get to know each other better as they live in different parts of the US.  Since then they posted less frequently on the 5AG channel but are individually awesome (they already were of course) on their own channels. Hayley was probably my favourite here she is being delightful about her "political views" including a great reference to Adele's ex boyfreind.

the vlog brothers - John and Hank Green are brothers who have one long chat with each other on the internet and have fun with history and science.  Their aim is to raise nerdy to the power of awesome - they are VERY successful at it.  Also they created the Don't Forget To Be Awesome label and a Vlog adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

nerimon aka Alex Day- The sarcastic one!  Not always sarcastic, he explained the lost finale with stick figures, but if you want a rant he's your man.  Fans of Creationism or Twilight please look away now. I would completely subscribe to him interpreting the whole bible. (obviously impractical it would take forever). Sample quote [paraphrased] "adam puts all the blame on eve, which is well unfair"  He's also a talented musician who releases music without the backing of a studio and dissects ridiculous music lyrics. 

Also fantastic crossover video with 5AG's Kristina.  Because I think we should all revisit the My Little Ponies as adults.

Right only a few more links to go - bear with me folks I'm saving the best for last!

On to Alex Day's flat mate Charlie McDonnell aka charlieissocoollike - so many fun videos to choose from but I LOVE a couple of his songs and he messed up a meeting with Tim Minchin in the most endearing way, but that was already on Rude Tube so I'll leave you with his duet with himself and song about fancying people and one of his challenges where he tells you lots about himself - yep he loves Dr Horrible.  Sweet.
Finally my nerd video of the week: I may be late to this particular party but the HISHE Youtube channel is full of win.  I submit for your pleasure : How Iron Man Should Have Ended

Final, last mention, a new webshow filling my void until the return of The Misadventures of  ABG is Jan, part of a channel called WIGS. The cast is fanastic, and Stephen Moyer needs to rock his normal accent more often (no offence True Blood fans).  There are lots of different shows yet to come with interesting premises and magnificient actors.  What's not to love.

Right off to indulge in a spot of nerdfighting.  Do Not Forget To Be Awesome folks.

Response Blog - Overshare

I was reading this blog  which referenced the silly survey, I am a sucker for those surveys too, but usually it's the same old questions, whereas the one posted on Caulk and Crinolines had me stumped by question 3.  I had to google my university and primary school mascots.  So here are a few things you probably never cared to know about me:

And here we go!
Do you have a favorite number?
My favorite number is 8.Weirdly the same as AJ.  I can't remember why, maybe it's a born in August thing.
How many goddamn chickens could you eat right now?
Always several.  I love Chicken.  My mum's pepper chicken is the reason I knew I wouldn't be a vegetarian forever.  The Drum (my work)'s jerk chicken sizzler platter is a major contributing factor to my inability to stay on budget at the end of the month.
What is the mascot of every school you’ve attended?
I don't think my infant/junior school had one - maybe an aeroplane
Secondary school - Edward the Lion
Uni - the liver birds?
I just set your house on fire; what one thing do you grab on your way out?
laptop.  On second thoughts a lighter - yiu just set my house on fire, I'm bringing REVENGE!
Personality trait most likely to make you never talk to someone again.
Rascism.
We all like different crap. Name one food, band and movie that you hate that everyone else seems to like.
Food: Raw tomatoes are wrong on many levels. And rich tea biscuits.  anyone from my 1995 Italy trip can tell you why.
Band: 1 Direction.  I don't so much hate them as realise I've never heard thir stuff and looking at them makes me not want to bother.
Movie: The Tree of Life.
Now name one food, band and movie that everyone hates, but you like it because you’re a stupid dick.
Food: I can eat sweetcorn on nearly anything.
Band: I once listened to a podcaster I love rant about how bad the Counting Crows are.  I love 'em.
Movie: Con Air is awesome. 
What social situation makes you the most uncomfortable?
I have a pathologically poor memory for names.  Even for people I have known for years, lived with or am related to.  In my defence my mum has 5 sisters, dad has 9 siblings so family members are very hard to keep track of.  But family occasions where people ask "do you remember me..?" often result in me saying "No"
Honestly, how many friends do you have that you would willingly spend a day with? If the answer is not in single digits, you are a fucking liar.
Loads of them.  I could easily spend a year spending a day with a different friend each day.  That woud be pretty cool.  Also I am totally capable of spending an entire day watching tv/movies with someone - which really fills a lull in conversation.
Is there anything worse than The Big Bang Theory?
The thought that one day, The Big Bang Theory will no longer exist. 
I wanna know… have you ever seen the rain?
I lived in Manchester for nearly a decade.  I live in England.  There are days when all I see is rain.
Would you rather have diarrhea 10 times per month or vomit once per month?
This isn't all that hypothetical. Mixing spirits and wine results in the vomit a month scenario.  And lets face it, after some waffles and rehydration all is good.  Noone wants constant bottom malady.
Would you be interested in spending an evening with me watching sports and eating Easy Mac?
No Formula One.  If it's golf you'd pretty much have to look like Ryan Gosling to make that happen.  Otherwise sports are fine.  I love pasta. I could rock some Easy Mac (assuming it's some instant Macaroni Cheese stuff)
Assuming no penalty, would you kill another human being (you can choose who)? If you say no, once again you are a fucking liar.
I work in customer service.
Which Disney moment makes you cry the most because Disney is a dick of an entity that demands the death of at least one animal per movie?
Dumbo's mum protecting her baby and them being seprated always gets me.  Mumfasa's being trampled to death comes second.
Name one abnormal thing about your body.
I'm constantly surprised it still works given the abuse I've thrown at it.  Superhuman ability to withstand a diet which is largely stuff with sweetcorn, pancakes, waffles chips and chocolate.